Microsoft to ship more than 10 million Xbox 360s by end of the year

Humphrey Cheung, 14th December 2006

Microsoft expects to ship more than 10 million units of its Xbox 360 game console by the end of the year. While an impressive figure, the number only includes units sold to retailers and may not actually reflect sales to the public.

Microsoft's archi-rivals Sony and Nintendo recently released their PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles respectively, but the company believes the Xbox 360 is more than capable of holding its ground. There have been rumored price cuts in the past months, but those have yet to materialize at major retailers.

According to the NPD market research group, Microsoft sold about 511,000 consoles in November, while Nintendo sold 476,000 Wii consoles. The Sony PlayStation 3 only sold 197,000 units.

Microsoft recently released a $200 HD-DVD for their console. This directly competes with the PS3's integrated Blu-Ray player.